Aug 9, 2012 Lafayette, Indiana Today we traveled to kokomo, indiana for a wonderful zone meeting and what an experience it was!! We didn't know we were going to have a member of the 70's there to train and teach us. They called us last night and told us to be in our seats 30 minutes early. When we arrived the chapel was already packed and we were 30 minutes early too. But we were able to see a lot of missionaries that we knew from our old district and zone plus all of the seniors that we knew. We did not know we had a general authority until the mission Pres. and wife walked in and went to the front of the chapel with four extra people. They then proceeded to announce that Elder Golden wanted to shake hands with everyone so we filed out of the chapel in lines and were all able to meet President Golden and his wife and also President Sorenson and his wife. President sorenson and his wife were from Fort Wayne where he was a Stake president up there. In meeting themI found that his wife was from Lubbock Texas and had known my sister and husband Kaye and Robert Larson. I think he had been their bishop while she was a teenager. Neat experience!!! Now i would like to record some of the things that were taught to us today. it was a wonderful day. 1. Put your trust in God. 2. Do everything in your power to be a worthy representative of jesus Christ. 3. Nephi said, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded." remember that the Lord has commanded these things, not man. When we think that it is a difficult thing we are asked to do, remember this. Overcoming the world is a step by step process. Sister Collins: D & C 18:1-15 Cry repentance unto this people. The Gospel is not a cloak of comfort, but a robe of responsibility. President Collins: Remember when we receive answers to prayers, it is revelation from God to us. When you underline phrase in the scriptures, or write in your scriptures, that is revelation in it's purest form. Use companionship study as a platform for revelation and you will love it. Create an atmosphere where the Holy Ghost can dwell, just as it is here today. Seek learning from the best books which are the scriptures. Sister Golden: She talked about Mother Teresa and what a wonderful person she was. How she was kind, and loving and charitable. When she died they found her diaries which told the truth of her uncertainty of how she felt. She said, "I listen, but i do not hear. I watch, but I do not see." She talked about the emptyness she felt as a person, how lost she felt and of her many unanswered questions. These questions could have been answered with the Gospel, with the Holy Ghost, she would not have felt the emptyness that she felt. Many people have these same feelings. They have a fear of what is to come. We have the answers for them. Some admit to these feelings and some do not. They do not wear a purple dot that . identifies them, we have to find them. "Seek and ye shall Find." Make sure that we go home with no regrets.It's worth it. How great shall be your joy! Elder Golden: (This was an amazing man, he spoke with the power of the spirit that just would not quit!) "As the church moves forward, Lucifer will increase his power as the church improves it's power. President Golden had everyone move to the center sitting shoulder to shoulder, almost, and talked about the power of unity. He said, that this is an important principle that will work with groups. He talked about goals and how important they are. He said that when we set our goals, it is an act of faith. Don't write down what you think you can accomplish, write down what you feel you can accomplish. We are living in a great day of the harvest. 1. We are living below our previledges. 2. our expectations are so low. 3. instead of asking, "why," ask ourselves, "why hot" Questions he took were: 1. Will you explain the principle of eternal marriage and why it cannot be performed on the other side of the veil? Answer: I know of no ordinance that can be performed without a body. An ordinance has to be done by proxy. if a person dies, the ordinance can be done on the earth while they are being taught in the spirit world. 2. Why do people of other religions have so much power? Answer: There are three types of power 1. the power of God 2. The power of Lucifer - they are intent on destroying things of God. He can immitate things of God. 3. The power of faith. Faith is a principle of action. Non members can exercise faith and receive answers to prayers. We are not the only ones. When we want to have the spirit we must: 1. teach of Christ, 2. teach of Joseph Smith, 3. teach of Book of mormon. Question: How can we more effectively teach the Sabbath day? Answer: It is the lord's day. Spend time doing things that will please the Lord. Leave it to the people's choice. Elder Golden talked about the sacrifice of Abraham and compared our lives to him. He said we will be called upon to sacrifice to the same degree in order to receive the same blessing. The Lord is no respecter of persons! We will all need to be tested as Abraham was, in order to fully overcome the world. That is why bad things happen to good people. Don't be buffeted by the world. The closer you look to the world for answers, the more you will be buffeted. Pres. Golden talked about Mother Teresa. He said she did not have enough laws to lead her to find the power which leads to the blessings she needed. Commandments and Laws lead to Power which leads to blessings! Laws provide great blessings. When we have laws and we abide by the laws, this shows faith, which creates power. If we develop personal righteousness, that can lead to faith. Contained in faith are many mysteries of the kingdom. The natural man is an enemy to God, yield to the enticings of the spirit or the Holy Ghost. Elder Golden asked, Why are we baptized? The answer given from us was to wash away our sins. He said, do we have magic water or something that it can wash away our sins? No we do not! It does not wash away our sins! it is symbolic. When we receive the holy Ghost, it does 2 things.1. Sin is purged from us. 2. It sanctifies us and purifies us. Without ordinances we cannot have power. By keeping ordinances we increase our faith and righteousness. When we die and we have lived the Gospel, there is a sweetness in death. Never be apologetic about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We will be equal heirs with Christ if we are faithful and righteous. God is no respecter of persons. This man talked with a pureness of the spirit. He thought about each sentence that he uttered. Then he said, "Now that I have taught this to you, I am no longer responsible for this information. You will be held responsible for it." Then he paused and said, "Joseph Smith was a pure and Holy man. God appeared to him. Others have received angels, but generally not God. Elder Golden closed by saying, "I hope that each of you will never be the same after today. I hope you will remember the feelings you have felt and will grow from this experience. There is safety and power in the Gospel. in my life i can't think straight without the gift and power of the holy Ghost." Elder Golden told the seniors: I want you to know that you are being blessed for your service through your children and grandchildren. Blessings are coming to them that they would not have. They are being taken care of. (We all cried and were so grateful for the things that were said.)